Fairytales Do Come True
by alloreli
Summary: Most fairytales are the same. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl must fight through many obstacles in order to prove their love.Of course, everyone knows fairytales don't happen in real life. But can you be so sure? Maybe they do...AU
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Welcome, readers, to Fairytales Do Come True, my first ever AU fanfic. (It's also my longest; this first chapter alone is longer then any of my other stories.) Let me give you a quick FYI: I write all Inuyasha fanfics in my notebook BEFORE I write them on the computer. I've already finished writing Chapter 3 of this story. It just takes forever to type up. So, just be warned, I already have everything planned out. However, suggestions are welcome.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and Co. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

"Kagome! Kagome, I have terrible news!"

"Calm down , Mom," Kagome Higurashi said. The seventeen-year-old's mom was constantly freaking out over even the smallest things. What could it be this time? Kagome's little brother Sota had probably just gotten a small cut.

"Kagome, your third cousin Kikyo….she's….she's dead!" Kagome's eyes went from the arrows she was fletching in a small work room to her mom.

"Kikyo?" she whispered? Kikyo was Kagome's friend….well, sort of. They were being trained as mikos by Kagome's grandfather. To make it easier for the old man, they had classes at the same time. An odd friendship had grown between the two girls. Kikyo was Kagome's mentor seeing as she was better at controlling her spiritual power, but it was well known that Kagome had the greater power.

"How did she die?" Kagome asked her mother.

"The police said it was a hit-and-run," Mrs. Higurashi answered. "There's a detective looking into it. In the meantime, the family has requested that you attend the funeral in three days."

"Did they say why?"

"No," said Mrs. Higurashi. "They just asked that you come. If you need me, I'm going to be working on laundry." She left the small shed.

Kagome went back to her fletching, but her mind was elsewhere. Kikyo was more then your average miko-in-training; she was the guardian of the Shikon no Tama, or the Jewel of Four Souls. Kikyo was also believed to be the reincarnation of their great-great-grandmother Kikyo. Not only did the two Kikyo's look alike, the younger Kikyo was born precisely forty-nine years after the elder Kikyo died. It didn't help Kagome much that she looked like her third-cousin Kikyo and was born exactly one year later, or, fifty years after the death of grandma Kikyo.

Kagome finally finished the last arrow and took it and her bow outside. It had been a long tradition with her and Kikyo; the last arrow fletched was the first one two be shot. She walked to the small archery in the back that contained three targets. She stood in front of the center target and nocked the arrow. She lifted the bow, aimed, and shot. The arrow hit the target just a half-inch above dead center.

"Kikyo would have had it perfect," Kagome muttered.

"Maybe," said a voice behind her. "But then again, maybe not." Kagome whirled. There, standing in front of her, was her dead cousin Kikyo.

"I…I thought you were dead," Kagome said, shaking.

"I am dead." Kikyo replied. "I've come to give you a message."

"And what would that be?"

Kikyo smiled. "I never was great-great-grandmother Kikyo's reincarnation. Our family had it wrong the whole time." Kagome stared in shock. Her eyes grew wider as Kikyo slowly began to fade. "Also," the ghost said, her voice only a whisper. "Watch over Inuyasha."

"Who's…?" Kagome began, but Kikyo had already disappeared. The whole episode seemed almost like a dream.

Kagome walked in from the archery range and hung up her unstrung bow on its hook. She went into her house and collapsed on the bed in her room.

"What's wrong, dear?" Mrs. Higurashi asked as she passed Kagome's room.

The young girl sat up. "Mom," she asked. "Is it possible that I've seen a ghost?"

"Why, yes, dear," her mom answered. "A ghost is simply a type of spirit. Our family has been able to see spirits fro generations."

Now that Kagome knew she wasn't dreaming about the ghost, she had a few things to puzzle over. 1. If cousin Kikyo wasn't grandma Kikyo's reincarnation, who was? 2. Who was this Inuyasha she was supposed to watch over? The name, which meant dog-spirit, definitely wasn't a human name. And if it wasn't a human name, it was a demon name. This brought her to her third and final question: why was cousin Kikyo asking her to watch over a demon?

Kagome was still thinking when the day of the funeral came. It was, to put it simply, depressing. Everyone was dressed in black, even the monk who performed the ceremony. Kagome knew that, since she was such a sentimental person, she would burst out in tears if she really paid attention to the funeral rites. Instead she amused herself by studying the guests. Most were family, but a few were people Kikyo had helped out at one time or another. Some others were Kikyo's friends from her senior class at the high school. And then, there was one who didn't seem to belong. He was standing apart from the others. Kagome concentrated her miko senses on him and was unsurprised to detect a faint youkai aura. Could this be…?

Inuyasha was dying to take off his black hat, but he didn't want anyone to see his ears and know what he was. It only made it worse knowing that there was more then one miko in the family. They would probably try to purify him on sight…just like Kikyo. Hey, it wasn't his fault that a lot of demons hated humans these days. Many demons were for removing the humans completely. For Inuyasha, being half-demon was a struggle, for no one was on his side. He still wondered why she was here at this funeral, where any human with the power could kill him.

Wait, that was an easy answer. He was here because Kikyo had asked him to be here. He thought back to that day, only a week ago…

_Inuyasha looked out his bedroom window when he heard the noise. It sounded like a screech of car tires, followed by a scream. His eyes opened wide when he caught a glimpse of the victim. No, it couldn't be…._

_He raced out his front door and into the street. There she was, lying in a pool of her own blood. He knew she was going to visit him today, but he wasn't expecting anything like this to happen. No one ever expects anything like this._

_He knelt down next to the girl in the street. He knew it would be another moment before the ambulances arrived. Already, people were coming out into the road. They only had a moment alone._

"_Kikyo," he whispered, anguish ripping his heart._

_She turned at his voice and slowly opened her eyes. "Inuyasha," she said, her voice barely a whisper._

"_Yes, it's me," he reassured her._

"_Promise me something."_

"_Anything, anything at all."_

"_Please, come to my funeral."_

"_Yes, yes, of course. cough….watch over Kagome."_

"_I will," he promised, thinking he would figure out later who this Kagome was._

"_Good," Kikyo whispered. She coughed again. A moment later, the ambulance pulled up and loaded her in to take her to the emergency room, and Inuyasha followed. The paramedics did their best, but Kikyo was dead before they reached the hospital…_

And that's why he was standing here, dressed in black, and more uncomfortable then he'd ever been in his life.

Inuyasha had planned to walk away right after the funeral was done, but something made him stand there for awhile, staring at the grave. After a few minutes, a teenage girl walked over and stood next to him. He looked at her face, and then did a double-take. No, she wasn't Kikyo's ghost come to haunt him; she just looked incredibly like the dead miko.

"It's sad, isn't it," the girl said. "Even thought I'm a miko, and I have to 'kill' demons, it doesn't make any death easier on me."

"No, it wouldn't," Inuyasha agreed.

"I'm Kagome, by the way," she added, holding out her hand for him to shake.

"Inuyasha," he said after hesitating a moment, and shook her hand. Could this be the Kagome he was supposed to look after?

"Will you be coming to the reception?" she asked.

"I wasn't planning on it," he admitted.

"You should," she said, giving him a searching look. "I'm sure Kikyo wouldn't mind a youkai at her funeral reception."

He almost jumped. How did…oh yeah, she's a miko. Kagome winked at him, then left.

"Quite something, isn't she?" a voice from behind him said. This time, Inuyasha really did jump.

"K…Kikyo?" he stuttered. "I thought you were dead!"

Kikyo rolled her eyes. "Why does everyone have to say that," she muttered. "Yes, I'm dead. I'm here because I have unfinished business, namely, you and the Shikon Jewel."

"How am I unfinished business?" Inuyasha asked, perplexed.

"Yes, well, um…."

"Please, continue."

"I was on my way to tell you something when I got run over."

"Feh. I knew that much. What exactly were you going to tell me?"

"We-ell," she said, playing with her fingers.

"Just. Spit. It. Out."

"Iwasonmywaytobreakupwithyou," she said in a hurry. Unfortunately, Inuyasha's superior hearing caught every word. Also unfortunately, she faded away before Inuyasha could say anything.

Inuyasha felt like he had been slapped in the face. "Stupid wench," he muttered, trying to hide his hurt feelings. In a huff, he walked over to where his motorcycle was parked. There he found Kikyo's look-a-like, Kagome, standing with a frustrated expression on her face. "What's wrong, wench?" he asked sneaking up from behind.

She jumped. "My ride left without me," she admitted.

"Well, how about a different ride?" he offered, grinning.

"With whom?" Kagome asked warily.

"Why me, of course!"

"In what!?"

"In that." He pointed to his motorcycle, and Kagome nearly fainted. "What's wrong with it?" He asked, offended.

"It's a motorcycle!?" she nearly screamed.

"Yeah, so? I have an extra helmet." He got on his motorcycle and quickly switched his hat for a helmet. In between, Kagome thought she caught a glimpse of puppy ears on the teen's head.

"You getting on, or what?" Inuyasha asked. She sighed and sat down behind him. He passed her a helmet and she put it on. Somehow, it fit her perfectly.

"You'll need to hold onto my waist," he instructed. She did as he ordered, tentatively at first, then more confidently when he didn't flinch. He revved the engine, then took off.

"You were wrong about," he said to Kagome over his shoulder.

"In what way?" she asked.

"I'm not a youkai."

"Then why can I sense a demonic aura coming from you?"

"Just let me finish, wench! I'm not a youkai, a full demon. I'm a hanyou, a half-demon."

Why does Kikyo want me to watch over this person, they both wondered in their heads.

"It's really difficult being hanyou. Youkai call me weak; most humans can't stand the sight of me."

"Most humans?" This girl and her questioning were really getting on Inuyasha's nerves. She might be able to find out something she didn't need to know.

"There are a few who accept us." Kagome smiled. She knew that with each question she came closer to something he didn't want her to know.

"Would Kikyo have been one of those people?" she asked.

"None of your business, wench!" the hanyou almost shouted. Kagome nearly laughed. That meant yes, of course. She was surprised at how easily she was able to read this hanyou through his voice. His face was, of course, facing forward. If it wasn't, he'd be in major trouble for not watching the road.

After Inuyasha's outburst, the two were silent. Kagome began to wish they would arrive at the reception hall. The hanyou's hair was getting in her face. Finally, the motorcycle turned into the parking lot in front of a one-story building. "We're here," he announced.

Kagome got off and unsnapped her helmet. "Are you sure you don't want to stay for the reception?" she asked, handing it to him.

He snorted. "Ain't half the women in your family mikos? I'll be purified before I even get ten feet in the door."

"For your information, Kikyo and I were the last two living mikos in our family. Now, I'm the only one left. Will you come?"

"Feh."

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"It ain't either."

"Fine. I'll take it as a yes." Kagome pulled Inuyasha off his motorcycle and through the door.

"Why are you so obsessed with getting me to the reception?" he grumbled. He wasn't overly upset; he wanted to know more about this girl Kikyo asked him to baby-sit.

"You intrigue me," Kagome said as they stopped in front of the room where the reception was. It was already full of people. "You're a hanyou and you came to Kikyo's funeral. I'm trying to find out why."

Ah, so this was a two way investigation. Only, she didn't know that he was investigation her and he wasn't sure that she was telling him the whole truth.

Kagome opened the inner door, and the pair entered the room. Kikyo's tearful mother saw them enter, and she whispered something to her husband. He nodded, and walked over to a microphone placed in front of the room.

"May I have your attention, please?" he asked. The room fell silent. "My wife and I were called to the hospital shortly after Kikyo's…unfortunate accident. In her last few minutes of life, she had given the paramedic a message to deliver to us. She was not, as was believed by the family, the reincarnation of Grandma Kikyo. Fortunately, she was able to give us the true identity of Grandma Kikyo's reincarnation and requested that we pass the care of the Shikon no Tama, the Jewel of Four Souls, into this person's hands."

He cleared his throat. "Would Kagome Higurashi please step forward?"

Kagome and Inuyasha stared at the speaker, and then the hanyou gave the miko a little push forward. She walked up slowly, thinking about how this was what she had always wanted. She only wished that Kikyo could be around to see it.

Kikyo's father was still talking. "After Kikyo's revelation, we looked at the facts. Kagome was born fifty years to the day after Grandma Kikyo died. The two of them look incredibly alike. Also, it is a well-known fact that Kagome has a great amount of spiritual energy. Grandma Kikyo was well known for her incredible amount of spiritual energy."

When Kagome reached Kikyo's father, he pulled out a large, glowing jewel. The entire audience gasped, for it was immediately recognizable as the Shikon Jewel. "Kagome Higurashi," Kikyo's father said. "Will you accept the job of protecting this jewel, the Shikon no Tama?"

What could Kagome say? She was backed into a corner. "Yes," she said wearily. "I will protect this jewel with my life."

It was handed to her. She took it and walked back to where Inuyasha stood. "I know you just brought me here," she said. "But could you please take me back home?"

The hanyou nodded, but didn't say anything. This time, he led the way out and towards his motorcycle. "Where do you live?" he asked.

"Oh, um, Sunset Shrine," she told him.

The whole ride to Kagome's house happened in silence. Inuyasha was deep in thought, wondering about what Kikyo had told him. Why had she wanted to break off their relationship? Everything had been going to well for them. But, then again, she was a miko and he was a hanyou. Such relationships were not meant to be.

"We're here," he announced ten minutes later. Kagome got off the motorcycle and once again handed him her helmet. She pulled out a piece of paper, wrote something down, and handed it to him.

"Here's my email," she said. "Keep in touch."

He nodded, and pocketed the paper. He hesitated for a moment, then ever so gently touched her cheek with his long claws. He quickly ran to his motorcycle and sped off.

Kagome placed her hand on her cheek exactly where Inuyasha's claws had been a moment before. Then, she began the long journey up the steps. When she reached the top, she saw a figure with their back to her and with a hand on the Goshinboku. The figure turned and smiled.

"So, what do you think of him?" Kikyo asked.

"He's a puzzle," Kagome admitted. "One minute, he's offering me a ride, the next, he's yelling at me, then he starts getting all affectionate!"

"And…?" Kikyo probed.

"And what?" Kagome asked. "I've only known the guy for a few hours. All I really know is that he's a hanyou and he rides a motorcycle. I can guess that he ahd some sort of relationship with you. Why else would he have come to your funeral? Why I really don't get is why you want me to watch over him. He seems perfectly capable of taking care of himself."

"He was my boyfriend," Kikyo said after a moment. "I was on my way to break up with him when I was run over by that car."

"And does he know this?" Kagome asked.

"He does now."

"You visited him, too? What was his response?"

"Same as yours." Kikyo looked at the watch she had on her wrist. "Speaking of, I need to go pay him another little visit. He should be home by now."

"One quick question. Are you going to keep visiting me like this?

"Of course I am. The higher-ups have made you, the jewel, and Inuyasha my personal business. I have to stop by every few days to check up on you." Kikyo began fading at the start of her little speech. By the end, she was gone completely.

"It wouldn't kill you not to be so mysterious for once," Kagome muttered under her breath. It looked like her distant cousin hadn't changed at all in death.

The young miko-in-training went to her secret place. She had a lot to think about, and she needed silence in which to do her thinking.

Phew! That's the longest chapter I've ever written. I think I have typer's cramp now. It might be awhile before I update; it depends on how long I can hog the computer cause my two older brothers really like using it. As always, please review!s


	2. Chapter 2

Ello, folks! Welcome to chapter 2 of Fairytales Do Come True. I have good news and bad news. The bad news is: I left the open notebook containing this story by an open window during a supremely heavy thunderstorm. The good news is: my younger sister, who loves this story as much as I do, was in the room and managed to save the notebook before any of the pages became soaked beyond recognition.

I would like to dedicate this chapter to Kitsune Lizzie, who has declared this story to be "the coolest AU I've read!" Also, I forgot to mention in the first chapter that the entire story is dedicated to my friend Steph, who reads all of my fanfiction then asks for more.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and Co. They belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi

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Inuyasha parked his motorcycle in front of the small, two-bedroom house where he lived. He walked through the door and shouted, "I'm home!" It was a habit of his; no one but he lived in this house. But, this day, someone answered his call.

"Obviously!"

The hanyou cursed under his breath. The voice was awfully familiar. He walked into the small kitchen and was disappointed, but not surprised, to see Kikyo leaning against the counter by the automatic dishwasher.

"There's something I'd really like to tell you," he said coldly. "But to the author's dislike of swear words, I can't. Instead, I have to say you need to get out of here before I really get mad."

"Aww, Inuyasha, you know you love me," Kikyo told him.

"Yeah, that's the problem. I thought I did. Then, you tricked me into coming to your funeral so that you could break up with me! What's up with that!?!?"

Kikyo sighed, her lightheartedness gone. "I suppose you do deserve an explanation. I didn't ask you to come to my funeral so that I could 'break up' with you. I just wanted you to be there. Then, I died and found out that I had to take care of you, Kagome, and the Shikon Jewel before I could rest in peace. Now, there's…"

"And what about that wench?" Inuyasha interrupted. "You want me to baby-sit her. She seems perfectly capable of doing that herself." To some degree, he thought.

"I was getting to that, and don't call her wench," Kikyo reprimanded. "I knew before I died that Kagome would become the new guardian of the Shikon no Tama. Many demons are going to chase after it. While Kagome is a powerful miko, she still needs some….well, let's just say she could use some help."

"I'm not sure I can do that. I don't want to get missed in with any more mikos."

Kikyo put on her pouting face. "Please, Inuyasha, do it for me? Please??"

"No," he said, refusing to look at her.

"Fine," she said. "I suppose I should tell you then that I didn't die in and accident."

"What!?!?" Now she had his full attention.

"Well, someone apparently wants the Shikon Jewel so much that they're willing to kill people for it. Kagome, as the guardian of the Jewel, could very well be in danger of loosing her life."

"Does she know this?"

"She knows I was killed in a hit-and-run. I don't know how much she's figured out on her own."

Great, Inuyasha thought. If I don't keep an eye on this girl and she's killed by some demon who's trying to get the jewel, I'm gonna feel guilty. I have no choice now. "Fine," he said. "I'll do it."

Kikyo grinned. "Thanks," she said. "Now, I won't get chewed out by the higher-ups."

"Who are the higher-ups?" Inuyasha tried to ask, but she had already disappeared.

"You really like disappearing at the most inconvenient times," he muttered. He went to his small living room, turned on the TV, and started channel surfing. About a half-hour later, his phone rang.

"Oh, hey Fluffy," he said, after looking at the caller-id.

"I thought I told you not to call me that," a cold voice answered. "Fluffy is not my name. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, is."

"Yeah, well, I'm your little brother; I can call you anything I want."

"If you call me Fluffy again, I will cut your monthly allowance in half."

"Fine, be that way. So, why did you call? I'm sure it wasn't so I could call you names."

"Your intellect is astonishing."

"Yeah, yeah, get on with it."

"Fine. There are two things I thought you should know. First of all, Kikyo's family has hired me to investigate her death."

"Oh, really? Are you that good of a lawyer? I never knew."

"For your information, I am the top independent lawyer in Tokyo," Sesshomaru said snippily. As for the other piece of information, you have been expelled from school."

"What!?!?" Inuyasha seemed to be using that word quite a lot today.

"They said your fight with Hiten was the last straw."

"It wasn't that big of a fight! I only gave him a black eye…..and a broken nose…..and knocked out a few of his teeth…..but he started it!"

"I'm sure," his older brother said dryly. "Thankfully, I have managed to enroll you in a different school. However…"

"What's the catch?"

"IF you get in more than three fights in the first month you are automatically expelled."

"Well, (insert your choice of swear word here)."

"I share your sentiment. I do not believe you can make it, especially since…"

"Since what?'

"Especially since the only school I could find that would accept you after looking at your record is the same one Koga attends."

Kagome's alarm woke her up at precisely 6 A.M. Monday morning. She rolled out of bed with a groan and headed for her closet. She pulled out her uniform and got changed. "I hate my uniform," she muttered.

She finally woke up enough to walk down the stairs so she could eat her breakfast. She ate quickly, and then began the two-mile walk to school.

"Hey Kagome," he best friend Sango said when they met up about half-way there.

"Hey Sango," Kagome replied, finally all the way awake. "How was your weekend?"

"Miroku tried to grope me again," Sango told her friend. 

"No surprises there. Speaking of Miroku, where is he?"

"Um, I'm not sure. Hey, I heard about your third cousin and the whole Shikon Jewel thing. I'm really sorry."

"It's ok. There's nothing you could have done."

"Hey ladies. Sorry I'm late." Miroku, a perverted monk-in-training and Kagome and Sango's good friend, had finally caught up with them."

"About time. Where were you?" Sango asked.

"I was preparing new wards for Kagome's shrine. It's going to need much more protection now that she's protecting the jewel. They're not quite finished, so I'll come over and drop them off sometime after school."

"Thanks, Miroku, you're the best." Kagome stopped to give her friend a hug. His hand started inching southwards when he was hit by Sango's book bag.

"PERVERT!" she yelled.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he said as Sango continued to whack him.

"Hey look, we're here," Kagome said, much to Miroku's relief. And indeed, the group of friends was right in front of their school building. They followed the other students through the front doors, through the hallways, and into their homeroom. Also present were Hojo, a sweet naïve boy with a crush on Kagome, and Koga, the track star and a wolf demon who kept trying to claim Kagome as his women. All of them were in their senior year and preparing to graduate in the spring.

"Students," the teacher said as soon as they all settled into their seats. "A new student will be joining us today." At that precise moment, in walked a tall young man with long white hair. Kagome's breath caught in her throat. It was Inuyasha, the hanyou Kikyo had asked her to watch over, and the puppy-dog ears she had caught a mere glimpse of stood out in their full glory.

"Perfect timing," the teacher said. "Class, this is Inuyasha Takahashi. He will be joining us for the remainder of the school year and graduating with us in the spring."

The hanyou's eyes roamed the classroom. They passed over Miroku, glared at Koga, and finally settled on Kagome. She stared right back at him, and once again Inuyasha was struck by her resemblance to Kikyo.

The teacher noticed where Inuyasha was looking and smiled. "Since you are so interested in her," she said. "Miss Higurashi will be your guide. Would that be all right, Miss Higurashi?"

"Yes, it would be," Kagome answered. Inside, she was dancing with joy. Now, she could learn more about her mysterious hanyou!

Inuyasha was directed to sit at the empty desk in between Kagome and Hojo. As he passed, he slipped her a note. She opened it, and scowled. The note read, _is it safe?_ She nodded at the hanyou, her eyes cool, and placed a hand on her chest; she was wearing the jewel as a necklace.

Inwardly, he smiled with relief. Good; she wasn't stupid enough to leave it at home while she went to school. He was also delighted that he would have a chance to observe Kagome more; despite his reluctance to protect her, she still fascinated him.

The bell finally rang, signaling time for the next class, and Kagome and Inuyasha stood up. "Good to see you again," Kagome said warmly.

"Feh," was the predictable reply.

"Come on; we've got to get you to your next class." The rest of the day pasted without incidence. However, the moment they exited the school building…

"So, what are you doing here, dog-turd?"

Inuyasha immediately turned away from the interesting conversation he'd been having with Kagome and her friends to growl at the offending speaker. It was Koga, Inuyasha's long-time rival.

"For your information, stinking wolf," the hanyou growled. "I go to school here now."

The wolf-demon yawned and scratched his ear. "So, you actually go to school? I thought you spent your days terrorizing helpless children."

Kagome could see a vein twitching in Inuyasha's head, and she quickly stepped between the two. "Koga, it's really sweet of you to stop and say hi to Inuyasha, but he and I really need to go."

Koga immediately turned his attention to her. "My dear Kagome, is this mutt bothering you? You can come with me instead."

"Koga, that's really nice of you, but we really have to go," Kagome said as she dragged Inuyasha away. Miroku and Sango, forgotten in the hubbub, trotted quietly after them.

As soon as they were out of Koga's earshot, Kagome began to glare at Inuyasha. "Whatever you do," she said. "Don't you dare get in a fight with Koga."

"What?" he said defensively. "I wouldn't loose to a scrawny wolf like him. I haven't yet."

"What do you mean?" Miroku asked curiously.

Inuyasha puffed out his chest. "The wolf-turd and I have had many…informal competitions. He's lost every time."

Sango smirked. "I would like to see that one of these days. Koga needs to be taken down a peg or two or ten. His egos so big, he thinks he's good enough for Kagome." The slayer put a protective arm around her friend. "There are few men in this world who are good enough for her."

"And Inuyasha here is one of them!" Miroku joked. The others stared at him. "Just kidding," he added quickly.

"Well, this is where we leave," Sango said after a few minutes. She and Miroku turned down a side street that led to their homes. Inuyasha and Kagome continued on.

"Is your home this way?" Kagome wonder out loud.

"Is that any of your business, wench?" Inuyasha snapped.

"Sorry. I was just curious as to why you were walking with me."

"If you must know, someone asked me to watch over you and the jewel."

"Really? Who?"

"Feh."

"Feh is a name?"

"No; it's me not wanting to tell you!"

"Well then, fine!"

The two lapsed into silence. When they reached the shrine, Kagome stomped up the stairs without saying good-bye to the hanyou that had walked her home. After she dropped off her textbooks in her bedroom, she changed into something more comfortable and headed out to the archery range.

After Kagome left, Inuyasha began examining the exterior of the shrine. He wanted to know what kind of defenses there were. He was impressed with their wards. The wards were not against youkai, but against any creature or person coming in with an evil intent. So long as the jewel was in the shrine, it was safe. Perhaps he should tell Kagome to leave it home while she went to school. It might actually be safer. Then again, it would be harder to find a moving target.

He was about to leave when he heard Kagome come out of her house. Curious, he followed. He watched her go into a shed, then come out with a bow and a full quiver. He followed her to a small, open field with three large targets. He watched as she strung her bow, nocked and arrow, and lifted it. To his surprise, she pointed it directly at him.

"I know you're there, demon," Kagome said in a clear voice. "Why don't you come out where I can see you?"

Kagome could sense the demonic aura the moment she left the weapons shed. She walked over to the archery field, pretending she didn't notice a thing. She nocked and arrow, but instead of facing the target, she turned and aimed in the direction of the some-what familiar aura.

"I know you're there, demon," she said in a clear voice. "Why don't you come out where I can see you?"

There was a rustling in the trees, but know demon appeared. Instead, Kagome felt the aura quickly fade away. "I guess he was too scared to confront me," she said to herself, and began practicing her archery.

In Kagome's personal opinion, she didn't do very well. Many of her arrows landed in the outer bull's eye. One was a full five inches from the center. Her closest arrow was a good quarter-inch away from dead-center when her mother came out with a plate of Kagome's favorite double chocolate-chip cookies, still hot from the oven.

"How's it going?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.

"Not so well," Kagome admitted as she took a cookie off the plate.

"Well, Kagome, it's natural for you to be feeling overwhelmed. You've just been asked to protect the most powerful spiritual object currently in existence. It's a great responsibility."

"I feel like I should be honored that they chose to trust me, a seventeen-year-old girl, with the jewel, but I'm not. I just feel small and insignificant."

"Like I said, it's just natural. You'll get used to it eventually." Mrs. Higurashi kissed her daughter on the head. "Now, I'd better bring Sota these cookies before they cool down too much." Kagome managed to grab another cookie right as her mother left, and then began to ponder what her mother had said. Perhaps she was letting her feelings overly influence her aim.

With that thought in mind, Kagome placed her bow on the ground with her quiver, and then sat down next to it. She closed her eyes and began to meditate in the way her grandfather taught her. She let herself be enveloped in a cocoon of serenity. Slowly, but surely, Kagome felt her anxiety be stripped away.

After a half-hour had passed, she opened her eyes and stood up again. She started practicing once more and found that her arrows went much closer to the mark then they did before. Finally, she finished. She put away her bow and quiver in the shed, and walked out to find Miroku on the steps.

"Hello, Kagome," Miroku said merrily. "I have your new wards."

"Thanks, Miroku," Kagome said, the relief evident in her voice. "I had an unexpected visitor today, and I'm not even sure who it was."

"Well, it's a good thing I came by. Let's go inside and I'll show you what I made."

Kagome led him inside the house to the kitchen. There, they sat down at the table. As she sat down, Kagome once again sensed that familiar demonic aura. This time, she figured out who it was.

"Inuyasha, just come inside," she said, knowing that he could hear her with his demon powers. Surprisingly, he actually listed and came to sit at the kitchen table with Kagome and Miroku.

"So, I'll show you what I have here. I have some stronger versions of the wards you already have in place. Those should keep most of the prowlers out. I also have some wards that you'll need to do some fussing with; they're ones that you set to keep out a specific person or type of demon. Those will keep out the smaller, more annoying demons."

He leaned closer, so that only Kagome and Inuyasha could hear him. "I also have a special ward. This one goes on whatever you want to keep the jewel in. Once you place the ward, only you can open the container."

"Thank you so much, Miroku," Kagome said earnestly. "These will help me sleep at night."

"Glad to be of service," the monk said as he stood and bowed. "I'll just go put these in place and then I'll be on my way." He left.

Kagome finally turned and looked at Inuyasha. "Why have you been following me?" she asked.

"Like I said earlier, cause someone asked me to!"

"Why won't you tell me who it is?"

"One, cause you probably won't believe me. Two, cause she has some right for privacy!"

"She?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Feh. That don't mean anything."

"Oh, I think it does. They very fact that you're denying it means that it does have some importance. Since you've told me that much, will you tell me who it is?"

"No!"

"Fine! Leave!" Kagome yelled, pointing at the door.

"Why, wench?" How am I supposed to protect you if I can't keep an eye on you?"

"Well, maybe I don't want you're protection! Ever think of that?"

"Well, it doesn't matter if you want it or not! You've got one of the most powerful spiritual talismans ever to exist and there are people out there who would _kill_ to have it. I'm not going to let what happened to Kikyo happen to you!"

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, loosing her steam.

"Kikyo was killed because someone after the jewel wanted her out of the way," Inuyasha explained.

"But who could have done such a thing?"

"I don't know, but I'll find out. I personally know the lawyer in charge of the case."

"Inuyasha, do you promise you're telling the truth?"

"What are you calling me, wench? A liar?" he scoffed.

"I think that's the closest I'll get to a yes. Look, I guess you can watch over me. Just…don't hover, ok?"

"Me? Hover? You won't even know I'm there."

"Sure, cause I'm such a terrible miko that I won't ever sense your aura."

"Feh." Inuyasha ran out of the house before Kagome could stop him or continue the argument.

"He needs to find a different word then 'feh,'" she muttered as she headed to her room to do her homework.

"Hello, Kagome," Kikyo said to her as the younger girl entered.

"Hello, Kikyo," she said wearily. "Anything in particular you wish to tell me, or are you just here to make sure I haven't killed myself?"

"Both," Kikyo said cheerfully. "There are actually two things for today."

"Let me know the more important one first."

"Ok. It's been decided that you should take sword lessons in case you end up in a situation where you can't use your bow."

"That's not too bad," Kagome said. "Who should I take them from?"

"Well…um…"

"Come on, spit it out."

"Inuyasha."

And chapter two ends with a semi-cliffy! Yippee! Anyways, here's and FYI for any of you who have not visited my profile page: I am looking for a beta reader for this story. Anyone interested should email me at always, please review! (Non-reviews get squirted with cheese. Company policy. For more information, please visit the profile of Jedi Greenleaf.)


	3. Chapter 3

I apologize for the cliffy. I have some other stuff to tell you, but I'll wait till the end of the chappie.

Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to Jessie Angel, my new-found beta, idea-bouncer-offer, and good friend.

Disclaimer: I have not, do not, and will not own Inuyasha and Co. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi

"Well, that's just great." Kagome spat.

"Wait, I thought you two were getting along nicely?" Kikyo said, confused.

"We were…until someone told him he had to protect me. He translated that as 'follow me wherever I go and never give me a moment of peace.' The worst thing is he won't tell me who it is!"

"Such a cruel and unusual punishment. Is there any particular reason why you would want to discover the identity of this mysterious benefactor?"

"Yeah; so I can tell them to butt out of my life!"

"Kagome, Kagome. That's such a rude thing to tell me, especially since I'm the one who…..convinced…..Inuyasha to watch over you."

"You? Convinced him?"

"Well, technically, all I did was tell him the truth. His conscience took care of the rest."

"But why did you do it?"

"I'll tell you what I told him. Were you aware that I wasn't killed in an accident?"

"Yes. Mama said it was a hit-and-run, and Inuyasha said you were killed on purpose."

"Well, the man who killed me did it for the Shikon Jewel. He might try to kill you too."

"Well, I appreciate your concern, but I don't want Inuyasha following me everywhere I go. I'd go insane."

"That's understandable. Ok, I'll tell him to lay off a bit….on one condition."

"What's the condition?"

"Don't go anywhere alone."

"Well, that's not too hard."

"I'm serious. Don't go anywhere without at least one or two people with you, preferably people who know how to defend themselves."

"Fine. I think Sango and Miroku won't mind being my escorts for awhile. So, what's this other important piece of news that you must impart to me?"

Kikyo smiled mischievously. "I think you'll like this one." Another spirit materialized by the dead girl. "This is Great-Great-Great Aunt Kaede."

"It is nice to meet ye, child," the old woman said. "I have a gift for ye to help with thy dog-eared friend, Inuyasha."

"Really?" Kagome asked, excited.

Kaede held out a necklace. Between every five small, round, blue beads there was a white wooden fang-shaped bead. "This talisman, once placed around his neck, will subdue Inuyasha at thy command. All ye must do is speak a single word."

"What word should I say?"

"It must be one that speaks to his soul. Once uttered the first time, the word will be the only one ye alone can use. Also, ye must be careful. The word will subdue thou's friend whether ye wish it or not. Uttered carelessly, it can have disastrous results."

"Question. Do I have to put this on him myself?"

Kaede smiled kindly. "No, child. Kikyo and I will do it for ye." With that last sentence, the two spirits disappeared once more.

Kagome sat down at her desk, prepared to do her homework and feeling elated. She had wanted to take sword lessons all her life, and here they were, handed to her on a silver platter. Never mind that she had to take them with Inuyasha; she could 'subdue' him (whatever that meant) if he got too weird. Her life had taken a short dive, but it was steadily climbing upward.

Inuyasha's life, however, was not improving nearly as much. His least favorite dead miko was paying him yet another visit.

"When will you just leave me alone?" he growled at Kikyo.

"Hmm……I'm thinking…………that's a really hard question. I think you're stuck with me for a long while. Probably until the Shikon Jewel is safe from whoever killed me."

_Why does she have to do this,_ he wondered to himself. _I'm still hurting from her _officially_ breaking up with me. It only makes it harder for me when she keeps coming around._

"Great," he said out loud. "But if you're not gonna leave me alone; can you at least have a reason for when you visit?"

"My dear Inuyasha, I have never visited you without a reason."

"Oh? Well what about right now?"

"My dear Inu-chan, I _do_ have a reason, but I cannot tell you if you keep arguing with me."

His face turned beet-red. She always called him Inu-chan whenever they were alone. Shaking off his embarrassment, he growled once more, "Will you tell me if I promise to be quiet?"

"I'll hold you to it," she said. "I want you to give sword lessons to Kagome."

Once more, Kikyo shocked the hanyou. Whatever he expected, it wasn't this. Thankfully, he managed to recover himself quickly; so quickly in fact that Kikyo never noticed his surprise.

"Why does that wench need sword lessons?" he snapped.

"First of all, I thought I told you not to call her wench. Second of all, I don't know if you've noticed, but the only weapon she can use is a bow, and that doesn't do much for her in the way of protection if the fighting gets too close."

"I see." Inuyasha thought for a moment, then sighed. "Fine. I'll do it."

Kikyo examined his face closely, and found she like what she saw there. "Okay, great. By the way, here's a little present for you." She snapped her fingers and a necklace appeared out of nowhere. It floated through the air and came to rest around Inuyasha's neck. He stared at it for a moment, then looked back up.

"What exactly is it?" he asked.

"Just a little something to help Kagome out, since she doesn't want you to be so overbearing," Kikyo said cheerily. "Sadly I have to leave now. You have a visitor." The doorbell rang just as she finished speaking. Inuyasha walked over to the door and opened it. He was somewhat surprised to see his older brother standing in the doorway, holding a briefcase.

"Hey Flu-I mean, Sesshomaru. To what do I owe this unpleasant surprise?" the hanyou asked.

"I have some interesting new developments in the Kikyo case. I believe that you should be informed," the youkai said in that gushy, overemotional way he had.

"Well, come on in. It's not like I'm going anywhere." The two brothers walked into Inuyasha's living room. Once there, Sesshomaru placed his briefcase on the small coffee table, opened it, and removed some of the contents.

"I did some investigation into the girl's family history. Apparently, she was the reincarnation of her great-great-grandmother, who shares her name."

"No, she wasn't," Inuyasha interrupted. He then proceeded to tell Sesshomaru about all the events that had occurred since Kikyo's death, including the revelation of Kagome's true identity and his charge to watch over the younger miko. The older youkai listened patiently.

"This complicates things to some degree," Sesshomaru said at the end of his brother's tale. "I was not aware that Kikyo was not her ancestor's reincarnation. However, it also makes things somewhat easier. The Shikon no Tama is in the hands of its proper owner and protector. I was afraid it no longer had one. It also helps that you are in charge of protecting…what is her name? Kagome Higurashi?"

"Yeah, that's the wench's name," Inuyasha muttered.

"The wench?" Sesshomaru said, raising an eyebrow. "If I didn't know any better, I would say that you are harboring feelings for this Kagome Higurashi. Are you over Kikyo so quickly?"

"No!" Inuyasha said forcefully. Then, more gently, "I'm not sure how I feel. The first thing Kikyo told me after she came back was that she was breaking up with me. Now, she keeps pushing me and Kagome together. What am I supposed to do?"

Sesshomaru chuckled, and Inuyasha stared. His brother never laughs!

"It was very much like that for me," the older youkai told his younger hanyou brother. "Jaken kept pushing myself and Kagura together. It wasn't until I just went with the flow that I realized we were perfect for each other, especially since she doesn't mind Rin. How many other female demons would accept an eighteen-year-old human girl that I adopted years ago? Kagura is actually the one who suggested that Rin be my secretary when she was old enough."

"I think that was to make sure you don't run off with your secretary," Inuyasha muttered. "Fine; I'll go with the flow and see where it takes me. But, what else do you have to tell me? I don't think you came just to discuss Kikyo's family history and my love-life."

"Once again, your perceptiveness astounds me," Sesshomaru said dryly. "Like I said when I came in, I'm here to bring you up to speed on the Kikyo case."

Inuyasha folded his arms. "So, talk."

"I have discovered the identity of the man responsible. His name is Naraku Onigumo, and he is a hanyou such as yourself. He seeks the Shikon no Tama to help him become a full demon. However, this is not the first time he has made such an attempt. He tried many years ago, when the Jewel was in the hands of the first Kikyo. Thankfully, he was thwarted by our father's brother."

"Dad's brother? I didn't know he had a brother."

"Yes. It seems that he loved Kikyo, but she did not love him back. Still, he gave up his life to protect her and the Jewel. Naraku was defeated, but not killed, and has been in hiding ever since. It seems to me that he has now come back. I do not know what he will do now that I have discovered his identity."

"Maybe he'll go into hiding and I won't have to worry about him," Inuyasha muttered.

"More then likely, he won't. Naraku cannot afford to wait too much longer. I give it ten years before he strikes again. Until then, we must protect Kagome Higurashi. Inuyasha, you will give this young miko sword lessons and you will like it."

"Fine."

Sesshomaru checked his wristwatch. "I must leave now," he said. Before Inuyasha could stop him, he walked right out the door.

"You'll give her sword lessons and you'll enjoy it," Inuyasha mimicked. Oh yes, he would enjoy it, and that was what worried him. Kagome intrigued him. She didn't tolerate his insults; no, she threw them right back. She was the only girl that would argue with him; Kikyo would just…..no, he couldn't start comparing the two girls, especially since Kagome would win every time.

Ok, yes the chapter was shorter this time. I'm going to start doing shorter chapters because hopefully shorter chapters mean quicker updates. Also, as shown by the dedication, I have found a beta, Jessie Angel. She can be found on both and Thanks to Kitsune Lizzie, who also offered her services. And thanks to all of you readers, and a special thank you to all of you reviewers. I send imaginary cookies to all!

As always, please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Yay! I'm back! Welcome to the fourth chapter of _Fairytales Do Come True._ In this chapter are Inu/Kag fluff and as well as the first few hints of the plot. (Yes, there is a plot; it's just been hidden until this chapter. Unfortunately for you, you have to dig to find it.)

So, I know you're all anxious to get to the story, so here's the dedication, disclaimer, and then the chapter itself! (A longer author's note follows).

Dedication: Seeing as I've had few reviewers, I've decided to dedicate this chapter to my stuffed bunny, Buttercup! Thanks for being there for me through all the writing process and putting up with my unhappiness whenever it came.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and Co. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

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The next morning, Inuyasha met Kagome at the foot of the stairway that led up to her shrine.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped.

"Well, now that I know you go to my new school, I decided that I'm going to walk you there and back everyday."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"Inuyasha, you don't have to do this. I meet Sango, and oftentimes Miroku as well, half-way to school every morning." She began walking. The inu-hanyou caught up with her and started talking again."

"There's still the half you walk alone. Besides, I don't think Sango and Miroku could do a very good job of protecting you."

Kagome laughed. "Inuyasha, where was your head yesterday? Didn't you notice that it was Miroku giving me the wards? And Sango comes from a family of professional demon slayers. Armed and working together they can protect me as well as if not better then you could."

"Sure," he scoffed. "Speaking of defense, that reminds me. Your sword lessons start today, after school."

Kagome paled visibly. "Today? But…but I'm not ready!"

Inuyasha smirked. "The sooner we start, the better. Sesshomaru says he doesn't know when Naraku will attack."

"Naraku? Who's Naraku?" Miroku asked as he and Sango joined the miko and hanyou.

Inuyasha quickly told the others what Sesshomaru had told him, omitting the part about the brothers' uncle.

"So, Sesshomaru Takahashi, the famous lawyer, is Inuyasha's older brother," Miroku mused. "Maybe he can help us in protecting the Jewel."

"We should really worry more about Kagome," Sango argued. "A jewel cannot be killed, but its protector can."

"Way to be optimistic, Sango," the jewel's protector muttered. "Don't worry about me. Inuyasha's going to give me sword lessons." She said in a louder tone.

The hanyou nodded. "I'm starting to think I should give you martial arts lessons, too. You need all the protection and self-defense you can get."

"Anything to spend more time around the lovely Kagome," Miroku teased. Both Kagome and Inuyasha turned bright red and began protesting.

"N-no, it's not like it at all!"

"What the bleep are you talking about?"

Sango smirked and whispered something to Miroku. He nodded back sagely. "What are you whispering about? Huh? Huh?" Inuyasha demanded.

The two others merely giggled.

Before much longer, the foursome found themselves once again at the torture-chamber known as school. Unfortunately for Kagome, one of their fellow classmates was there at the same time as them.

"Hey, Kagome!" Hojo shouted as he jogged over to her.

"Oh, hello, Hojo," Kagome replied without much enthusiasm.

"I have another present for you," he said happily as he handed over a wrapped package.

"Feh. Who're you?" Inuyasha said, butting into the conversation.

"Oh, you're the new kid, right?" Hojo asked. "Hi, I'm Hojo!"

"Feh," Inuyasha repeated. "What do you think you're doing, giving Kagome gifts?"

"Oh, I do it all the time," Hojo said cheerily. "She likes them!"

Inuyasha turned to look at the girl they were discussing. She shook her head and silently mouthed, "No."

"Well, that's settled then," Inuyasha said. He grabbed Kagome's arm and began pulling her into the school. Forgotten once more, Miroku and Sango followed.

Unfortunately once more, Koga spotted the quartet marching through the classroom door. "Oi, mutt!" he shouted. "What're you doing with my Kagome?"

"_Your_ Kagome? What makes you think she belongs to you, scrawny wolf?" the 'mutt' countered.

"Don't listen to the dog-boy, Kagome. He has no idea what he's talking about," Koga said as he dodged Inuyasha and held the miko's hands.

"Um, Koga, it's very nice of you to be so protective, but Inuyasha and I get along fine," Kagome stuttered, not wanting to be drawn into the argument.

"But you shouldn't be left alone with him, especially since you're _my_ woman," Koga said. "I don't want anything to happen to ruin your reputation."

"Hey!" Inuyasha shouted.

"It's ok, Koga," Kagome said as she pulled her hands away from his. "Inuyasha wouldn't do anything like that with me." She snuck a look at the hanyou, but his expression, one of extreme dislike, didn't change. Miroku noticed her unhappiness at the thought, but didn't say anything.

"Hmph. I don't trust that stinky mutt any farther than I can throw him."

"That's fine with me, since I don't trust that stupid wolf either," Inuyasha muttered to Miroku and Sango.

Koga glared daggers at the offending hanyou. Then, he turned back to Kagome and said, "Since I can't talk to you with this pup here, how about you and I go to a movie this weekend?"

"Um, I'd love to," Kagome said, not sure of a polite way to turn him down.

"Feh, wench, you can't go this weekend. You've got sword lessons, remember?" Inuyasha interrupted once more.

"Oh, I can, too!" Kagome shouted, turning away from Koga and rounding on Inuyasha.

"You can't skip your lessons! What would you do if some demon came at you and all you could do was stutter at him?"

"Stutter? I don't stutter!" Kagome yelled, outraged. "And I don't see how learning to use a sword will help me! What am I supposed to do, start carrying a sword with me to school?"

"No, but it will help build up your muscles!"

"I've already got muscles!"

"Feh. You're just as weak as any other human. Without me there, you'd be finished in a half-second."

Most fortunately for the hanyou, the bell rang and all the students went to their seats.

A few minutes after the lesson, a note found its way to Kagome. _We're not finished with this,_ it read. She crumpled it up and threw it away.

That day, as Kagome headed to lunch, she noticed Inuyasha sitting with Miroku and Sango. She immediately veered to a table where some of her other friends, namely, Yuka, Eri, and Ayame, were located.

"What's up with the new kid?" Eri asked. "He keeps looking over here. It's like he wants to get up, but Miroku and Sango won't let him."

"Thank goodness," Kagome muttered.

At the end of the day, Kagome, forgetting her promise to Kikyo never to go anywhere alone, walked right out of school and did not wait for any of her friends. Miroku and Sango recognized the mood she was in and tactfully stayed a few feet behind so that they did not accidentally incur her wrath. Inuyasha, however, was not as aware or tactful as his other friends and immediately ran ahead to catch up with the teenage miko.

"And where do you think you're going?" he asked. She didn't answer, but instead sped up. He increased his speed to keep pace with her. "Look, you can't walk home alone while carrying that Jewel. Anyone could attack you and take it by force."

"Is that all you're worried about, the Jewel?!" Kagome yelled. Apparently, she was still mad at him for what he had said earlier that day, and, Inuyasha not being the most sensitive of people, his words had been the last straw. "Aren't you worried at all about what might happen to _me_!?!? It sure seemed like it earlier, but now it seems all you care about is _THAT. STUPID. JEWEL! _Just like everyone else!"

He could smell the salt from the tears that began to well up in her eyes. Something happened then. He felt an urge, an urge to comfort her, to cuddle her close and kiss away her tears. He pushed it back, knowing a beautiful girl like her could never love a hanyou like him. Instead, he reached out awkwardly with his hand, intending to touch her shoulder. She pushed his hand away and ran. Years of playing tag with Sango and walking up the shrine's steps gave her endurance; the pain in her heart gave her speed.

He stood dumbfounded for a full minute, not quite sure what had happened.

"Chase after her!" said a familiar voice in his ear. Inuyasha turned to see Kikyo standing behind him.

"How did you…?"

"Does it really matter?" Kikyo interrupted. "Right now, what you need to do most is catch up with Kagome."

He nodded, and poured on the speed. Despite his hanyou swiftness, he didn't catch up with Kagome until he reached the base of the shrine steps. There she stood, trying to catch her breath after her mile-long sprint. Not stopping, he swept her up bridal-style and carried her to the base of the Goshinboku at the top of the stairs. There he sat, with her still in his arms. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears, but made no move to escape. At the moment, she was too tired to move.

"Why did you run from me?" Inuyasha asked softly.

"I was afraid," Kagome said softly. He chuckled, and the sound vibrated through her.

"Afraid of what? Of me?" he joked, but they both knew that beneath the surface, he was dead serious.

"I'm afraid of what I feel, and I'm afraid that you might not feel the same way," she said. Internally, he smacked himself on the head. What was it she had said to Koga?

_Flashback_

"_It's ok, Koga," Kagome said as she pulled her hands away from his. "Inuyasha wouldn't do anything like that with me." She snuck a look at the hanyou, but his expression, one of extreme dislike, didn't change. Miroku noticed her unhappiness at the thought, but didn't say anything._

_End Flashback_

What a mess he had gotten himself into. Why couldn't he be more perceptive, like Mikoku? That monk, pervert though he may be, could sense a girl's feelings from a mile away. Right now, Inuyasha was just going to have to take Sesshomaru's advice and go with the flow.

"Is there more to it?" Inuyasha asked softly. She nodded.

"It feels like I've known you for more then a few days," Kagome said softly. "It's like we grew up together. When we talk, your expressions, what you say, how you say it, it all seems so familiar, like we've lived a lifetime together."

How did her words sound like she was reading his mind? How could she say exactly what he was feeling in his heart?

"It…It's like that for me, too," the hanyou added. "When you started crying, I felt….something. It's like the exact same thing has happened again and again, and again and again I've reacted the same way."

"It's almost like…a fairytale," Kagome said.

"Feh. Everyone knows fairytales don't come true," Inuyasha said.

"Are you so sure?" she asked.

"Keh. Fairytales are just stories people tell to make themselves happy. No one ever gets a happy ending in real life," he said bitterly. "I should know."

"Is this about Kikyo?" Kagome asked, the bitterness also present in her voice. "Do you still love her, even though she's died and can never come back to you?"

He turned his head away. "I…I'm not sure. She's changed. Before, she was still all cheery, but she had her moments when we were….feh, why am I telling you this? All you need to know is that Kikyo and I can never be together like we were before she died."

"I want to help you," Kagome said suddenly. "If you ever need to talk, I want to be the one who listens. Despite the way you talk, I can tell Kikyo's death left scars on you. Let me help you heal."

Inuyasha looked at her once more. "Perhaps ours will be the fairytale that does come true," he whispered quietly.

"Did you say something?" Kagome asked.

"Oh, um, no," Inuyasha said. "I was just thinking that maybe Kikyo knew what she was doing when she asked me to protect……..bleepbleepbleepbleepbleep!"

Kagome chuckled, and with that chuckle her tears tried. "Don't worry, I already know. Kikyo told me last night."

"Has she been coming to visit you, too?" he asked.

"Yeah, and I knew she's been coming to visit you. Even if she hadn't told me, the way you've been talking makes it obvious."

"I guess we've been manipulated," Inuyasha whispered to her.

"If this is manipulation, I don't mind a bit," Kagome whispered back.

"And it's working." The hanyou shook his head. "This morning, when that _wolf_ asked you out…anyway, we never finished our argument. There's no way I'm letting you go on a date with him."

"You're my bodyguard, not my boss," Kagome argued. She saw the smirk on his face, and gulped. That mischievous smile scared her more then any glare of his could.

"I am indeed your bodyguard," he said. "And as your bodyguard, it would be very irresponsible of me to let you go on a date without anyone to protect you."

Kagome shook her head. "Fine, I'll cancel."

Inuyasha continued to smirk. "You don't have to cancel your date, just your date with Koga."

She looked at him curiously. "Are you asking me out?"

He smiled. "How does dinner and a movie sound?"

She smiled back. "Wonderful, but maybe we should start our sword lessons before Mama comes out and wonders why I'm sitting on the lap of a boy she doesn't know?"

"We can fix that."

"What, the sword lesson part or the strange boy part?"

"Both. How about you take me in and introduce you to your mother?"

Kagome gulped, and Inuyasha smirked. "Come on, I'm sure you need to give your mother a good reason for why I'm here." He pushed his point farther by making her get off his lap. She retaliated by pulling him up. Even once he was up, she didn't let go of his hand.

"Come on, Kagome, let's go meet the mother."

She looked at him oddly, than smiled.

"What is it?" he asked.

"That's the first time you've called me by my name," Kagome said wonderingly.

"Feh," he said. "Don't get used to it."

"But what if I already am?"

Unbeknownst to the pair, Kikyo and Kaede were watching over them.

"They will be an excellent couple, don't you think?" Kikyo asked her aunt.

"Yes, but they must learn to trust each other more then they already do," Kaede warned. "It could take years."

"I wish we had the time," Kikyo sighed. "If only Naraku weren't so impatient. I can't see them being ready by graduation."

"Kikyo, ye must get the pair to trust each other. The fate of the world rests in ye's hands."

_The next day…_

"Koga, I'm very sorry, but I can't go out with you on Sunday," Kagome said.

"That's alright, my dear Kagome. We still have the rest of our lives together," Koga said.

Kagome blushed and walked away. "I wish I could just find some way to say no," she muttered.

Celebrate the wonderfulness that is fluff! Now, I need a few things from you. 1. Reviews. 2. Where should they go for dinner and what movie should they see? 3. Reviews. 4. I have a few plot bunnies running through my head but I don't have time to write them. If anyone ever needs an idea for a story, email me at 5. Reviews. 6. Patience. I am a busy high school student (curse the evil that is school) and I don't have nearly enough time to update as fast as I would like.

I think that's pretty much it. As always, please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Yes! I have finally managed to finish chapter 5! My only excuse for my lateness is that my computer was down with a virus for about two weeks and two weeks before that it….well…..it died and I almost lost everything. Thankfully, my older brother managed to find all our old files.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and Co. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

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Inuyasha finally managed to catch up with Kagome, Sango and Miroku as they left the school building. He had not been able to see them the entire day as he had missed walking Kagome to school that morning and had detention during lunch.

"You didn't walk me to school this morning," Kagome observed.

"Yeah, well, you're always complaining about me being way too over-protective," he muttered. Actually, he had overslept, but no one really needed to know that.

"I bet he overslept," teased Miroku, who had taken it upon himself to "protect" Kagome in Inuyasha's absence. Unfortunately for him, Sango also came along to protect Kagome from the monk's wandering hand.

Inuyasha turned bright red and began muttering cuss words under his breath.

"So, Sango, what've you been up to lately?" Kagome asked in a not-so-subtle attempt to change the subject.

"Well, my family's been preparing for the annual Sengoku Jidai competition," Sango said. "We've had to begin early this year because of how many people came last time."

"Your family runs the Sengoku Jidai competition?" Inuyasha asked in amazement. "I competed in that last year. It was amazing."

"I thought I'd seen you before somewhere!" Miroku said. "Tell me, do you wear a red haori and fight with a rusty katana?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha said. "You wouldn't happen to fight while wearing monk's robes and using a golden staff would you?" The two looked at each other, and then began laughing.

_**Flashback to a year ago**_

"_And our next contestants are Miroku Akishimoto and a fighter known to us only as Inu!" Kagome said from the judges' booth. From opposite ends of the dirt arena entered to tall, lean young teenage men. One was wearing a purple monk's robe and carrying a golden staff. The other, dressed in a red haori and wearing a red hood which concealed all but his eyes, carried only a sheathed katana._

_The two teens walked to the center of the arena and bowed to each other. Inu drew his katana, revealing the rusty blade. Miroku smiled confidently, believing that this competitor would be easily defeated. The crowd murmured, and immediately began to exchange bets on who would come out the victor._

"_Begin!" Kagome shouted about the crowd. Her job was to referee the fight. Next to her, the three judges, prominent members of the community, were watching the pair carefully. In this competition, it was not the fighter who defeated the other who won; it was the one who fought the most skillfully that took home the trophy._

_The pair began to fight, and it was not immediately obvious who the winner would be. Miroku used a combination of his sacred sutras and his staff to defend himself against Inu's blazing katana. Then, the fight switched around as Miroku managed to sneak under Inu's attack and get in one of his own. Then, Inu was forced to the defensive as Miroku's staff wove a gold net around him._

_The two were well matched in speed and strength. But finally, nearly an hour after the fight began, Miroku began to tire. His movements became slower and slower until finally, his staff was knocked out of his hands. He stood there silently as Inu's sword came up to his neck. "It's over," the red-clothed teen said as the crowd erupted into thunderous applause._

_It was several minutes before the judges managed to quiet down the crowd so that they could announce their verdict._

"_It is our decision," proclaimed Sesshomaru Takahashi, the head judge. "That this battle is a draw between Miroku Akishimoto and Inu. Of all the fighters we have seen so far, they have both fought most skillfully. Both of them shall continue onto the next round." The crowd cheered at the obviously fair ruling._

_But later, when Inu's next fight was supposed to begin at a time near sunset, he was no where to be found._

_**End Flashback**_

"That was the most amazing fight I'd ever seen," Kagome said. "Inuyasha, I wish you hadn't left. You could have won the whole thing!"

"I left because……well, let's just say I had some problems of my own," Inuyasha said. That night was the new moon, and the hanyou had no intentions of staying past nightfall.

"Why didn't you recognize me before now?" Miroku asked. "I thought you'd have recognized my scent."

Inuyasha glared. "I did too recognize it!"

"Yeah, about three seconds ago!" Sango joked.

Inuyasha glowered at her, but then his eyes widened and he took a careful sniff of the surrounding air.

"Wha-?" Kagome began, but he immediately silenced her.

"He's near-by," the hanyou stated crossly.

"Who?" Miroku asked.

"Hiten."

A tall demon with a long pony-tail dropped from a close-by tree, wearing a smug expression. Kagome's friends immediately formed a defensive shield between her and the demon.

"Back for more, Hiten?" Inuyasha growled, pulling off his back-pack in preparation for the fight.

"You know him?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah. He's the reason I was expelled from my old school. He decided to pick a fight with me and ended up walking away with his tail between his legs."

"I'll get you back for that someday, hanyou," Hiten spat. "But for now, all I want is the Shikon no Tama."

While Inuyasha was distracting Hiten, Sango managed to pull out a small version of her signature bone boomerang, Hiraikotsu. Now armed, she challenged the demon. "You'll have to go though us to do it," she stated.

"Worthless humans," Hiten said dismissively.

A vein on Sango's head was very close to popping. She threw her boomerang at Hiten, but it flew right by him.

"Ha, you missed," he laughed.

"Not so," Sango said with a smile. The boomerang came from behind and whacked Hiten right on the head, who then fell down with an anime-style bump on his head.

"Why you little…" he growled, and stood up, prepared to charge at Sango.

"Inuyasha, take Kagome and RUN!" Miroku said as he grabbed a stick and ran ahead to defend Sango.

Inuyasha nodded and grabbed Kagome's wrist and pulled her away. She began running with him, but was too slow for his tastes. "Get on my back," he ordered. Kagome looked surprised, but climbed on with little visible hesitation.

The hanyou immediately took off, darting along the side walk until he came to the shrine steps. He cleared those in two jumps, and carried Kagome towards her front door.

"Stay here," he instructed.

"No. I'm not staying here while my friends risk their lives for my sake."

"Kagome, if you go back there, you'll only make it worse."

"Inuyasha, I won't sit back and let my friends be killed! Let me get my bow; I can fight with it!"

"Kagome, please, I can't lose you the way I lost Kikyo. Do you realize what that would do to me?"

"And can you imagine what it would do to me if I lost my best friends while they were trying to protect me?"

"This argument is getting us no where."

"Exactly, so just give in."

Inuyasha sighed. He knew when he was beat. "Fine. Get your bow and we'll go back."

Kagome's eyes immediately brightened, and she leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you Inuyasha." She ran up to the shed where her bow was kept. She came back, carrying both it and her quiver.

"On my back," Inuyasha said. She climbed on, and he took off once more.

"They've moved," he said as they arrived at the spot where Hiten had first come upon them. He quickly picked up his discarded pack-pack.

"Can you find them again?" Kagome asked.

"Feh, of course I can, wench!" Inuyasha stood for a moment using his ears to try and hear them. "I think I've found them. Let's go!"

The trio was battling in a small, deserted park. Sango and Miroku were obviously beginning to tire, their human strength nearly gone. Meanwhile, Hiten looked as though he had just come back from a Sunday stroll and was merely having some light exercise.

"Useless humans," he taunted once more, right before an arrow encased in a blazing pink light flew right by his head. He turned in surprise.

"No one insults my friends and gets away with it!" Kagome hollered as she nocked another arrow to the string.

"Stay back, Kagome," Inuyasha warned as he ran forward, making sure to drop his back-pack first.

"I don't have to be close to shoot him," Kagome stated. "But you make sure that you're careful!"

"I beat him once and I can do it again!" Inuyasha roared as he hurtled towards Hiten, and the feral fight began.

Miroku and Sango managed to limp their way over to Kagome and form a defensive barrier in front of her. "You should have stayed behind," Miroku said.

"Could I have stayed behind knowing that my friends were about to die for me?" Kagome asked. "You would have died if Inuyasha and I hadn't come."

"And for that we are grateful," Sango said. "But you still shouldn't have risked it."

"Why should I worry?" Kagome asked. "Inuyasha's here."

And indeed, it looked as if Inuyasha was about to win, when Hiten, in his desperation, turned away from the battle.

"Chicken?" Inuyasha mocked as Hiten seemed to flee. But instead of running away, the full demon charged right for Kagome.

"NO!!!!" the hanyou screamed. His eyes began to turn a bloody crimson color, and purple stripes appeared on his cheeks. His claws grew even longer and sharper then before.

As Hiten charged through Miroku and Sango in order to get to the miko, he was stopped by a full demon Inuyasha, for that is what had happened to the hanyou. The demon blood mixed with human blood had taken over when it saw that Kagome was in danger of loosing her life.

As Inuyasha and Hiten fought, Miroku and Sango attempted to convince Kagome to go to a safer place.

"We don't know what Inuyasha will do when he kills Hiten," Sango said. "Please, for your own safety, go home." 

"And what will you two do?" Kagome asked.

"We will try to help him turn back to a hanyou," Miroku said.

"But you have no way of reaching him. I do."

"We will do what needs to be done," Sango said. "If we have to, we will knock him unconscious."

"But you'll hurt him. I can bring him back, I know I can," Kagome pleaded. "Besides, in your condition, the two of you could barely kill an ant." 

"She's right," Miroku said. Sango glared at him.

"Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" she asked.

Miroku shrugged. "I'm on the side of logic."

Sango snorted. "Please, Kago………….Kagome?" While the monk and the teenage girl were arguing, Kagome had run towards the fighting duo and nocked an arrow to her bow. She quickly took aim and fired.

The arrow blazed with a holy pink light. It flew speedily and true, and struck Hiten right in the back and purified him instantly, his body shattering in the pink light. However, Inuyasha did not turn back into his fluffy, lovable self but began to sniff the air.

There was something there, something familiar. He followed it with his nose, and found it coming from the girl (Kagome?) armed with a bow. He stared at her for a minute, noticing her scared expression and watching as her friends tried to persuade her to move.

_Mine,_ the demon inside Inuyasha said ferociously and awoke something inside him that he never knew was there. Suddenly, the hanyou became overwhelmed with sensations, memories. He was forced down to his knees as he was engulfed by the strange memories………

_Danger. There was danger. No, not to me, but to my mate (_My mate? I don't have a mate)_. I wanted to protect her…no, I _had_ to protect her. I flew as fast as my feet would take me, only to watch her be cut down before I could save her…_

_Comfort. We had comfort as we stayed together during the long days. There was nothing better then basking in the sun during the summer, cuddling by the fire in the hut _(I don't live in a hut.), _or playing with the young ones of the village…_

_Love. She loved me. The expression on her face as she kissed (_Kissed? I've never been kissed…..) _me was precious to me. How could one like her love one such as me…_

_Disdain. I watched as she walked away from me, her disdain radiating from her in waves so palpable even normal humans could feel it. She considered me, an all-powerful inu-demon _(But I'm not full demon. I'm a hanyou, a half-demon. ) _beneath her…_

_Hate. She hated my kind. Why? I had done nothing to deserve her hate, only be what I am. I knew what I would do, for I could not live without her. She and I were destined. Why was it only now that she rejected me? Our souls had been intertwined for centuries. Why? Why? Why_………

He stayed there, on his knees, engulfed by the memories and only pieces of the present getting through to him.

"Sango, look at him! We can't leave him like that!"

"_Inuyasha, are you ok? Inuyasha? Wake up!"_

"Kagome, we need to find someone who can help him. We need a doctor, or a priest."

"_Lady Kagome, you must be calm. Only then can you call him back."_

"Ka...go…..me……"Inuyasha mumble through his haze. "Ka…..go…..me…."

"See? See? He's calling for me."

There was a sigh, and feet suddenly came running towards Inuyasha. Hands were gently laid upon his face, tugging it upwards. "Inuyasha?" she said gently.

"_Inuyasha," Kagome said gently. "Inuyasha, it's time to wake up."_

_Wake…..up……?_

"_Inuyasha, it's time to come back. Inuyasha….."_

"Inuyasha, please, don't stay like this," Kagome begged.

His demon blood faded a tiny bit at her urging, but then pushed forward again and emptied his mind of everything but the simple, undeniable fact that Kagome was his. He looked up, and something in his red eyes warned Kagome of what was going to happen. She tried to stand, but Inuyasha forced her back down, then pulled her forward and put his lips on hers in a chaste kiss.

Kagome went limp.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a boomerang followed by a trio of sacred sutras came hurtling towards the pair. Inuyasha was forced to pull away from Kagome in order to defend himself.

"Kagome, run!" shouted Miroku as he pulled out a few more sutras. However, she stayed limp in the same position she had been.

"Kirara! Come!" Sango shouted, summoning her cat demon companion. "It'll be a minute before she gets here! We have to keep him away from Kagome until then!"

"No!" Kagome shouted, stirring from her lethargy. "You mustn't hurt him!" 

"Well, unless there's anything you can do to stop him _right now_," Sango said. "We're going to have to!"

Wait, Kagome thought. There is something I can do. But what word to use?

Inuyasha was flying towards Sango, about to cut her in pieces. On impulse, Kagome cried, "Sit, boy!"

The beads around Inuyasha's neck glowed, and they pulled him down mid-leap. He was slammed into the ground. "What was that for, wench?" he yelled as he pulled himself back up.

"Thank goodness, you're alright!" Kagome said as she ran forward and hugged him.

"Feh, wench, what did you think was wrong with me?" he asked in his gently rough voice as he returned her embrace. "And where's Hiten? Did he run away like the coward he is?"

Kagome's face turned white. "You mean, you don't remember?" she asked.

Miroku and Sango watched from a distance. After Kagome had "sat" Inuyasha they had stayed back so the two could have some privacy.

"It's love, all right," Miroku said as Kagome and Inuyasha hugged.

"Give them time," Sango advised. "They've only known each other for a few days. They need a chance to get to know each other before they get seriously involved."

"In that case, perhaps you and I should find something to do. Miss Sango, would you consider bearing my….." The monk never got to finish his sentence as he was interrupted by Sango's fist.

"In your wildest dreams," she said.

"Well then, I'll just have to go to sleep early…." SMACKSMACKSMACK

"Won't you ever give up?" Sango asked him as he rubbed his hand-print covered face.

Kagome walked up to the two, her face still white. "What happened?" Sango asked. "How did you subdue him?"

The miko hesitated. Should she tell them about the necklace? "It's an ancient miko spell," she said, choosing to wait until another time.

"Where is he now?" Miroku asked.

"I'm not sure. He didn't seem to remember anything that happened. When I explained it to him, he ran off."

"He's hoping he doesn't do anything rash," Sango said. "Even knowing as little as I do about him, I wouldn't put it past him."

They were all quiet for a moment.

"He left something behind," Miroku said, pointing to a bright red back-pack lying near-by.

There we go! We're done. Thanks for this chapter go out to Jessie Angel, my beta. She managed to beta this and get it back to me in less then a day! She's also been a wonderful help with developing the plot line, and a lot of the ideas from here on out came from her. I couldn't produce this story without her. I'd also like to thank Kitsune Lizzie from for reviewing every chapter written so far as well as Kimaya Aya from for liking this story so much.

I think that's about all so as always, please review!


	6. Not Really a Chapter

Ello, everyone! I apologize-this is not a new chapter. In fact, due to circumstances that are beyond my control, I will not be able to add a new chapter for an indefinite amount of time. And in case you are wondering what the circumstances are and how they are beyond my control, let me explain. I am MOVING! For any of you who have moved before, you know what that means. For those who don't, let's just say that a lot of work is involved and I really don't have time to write. Also, the time I do spend writing I want to focus on helping out my beta, Jessie Angel (known as voodoobanshee on with finishing her story Playground Love.

I thank you all for your patience. I'd also like to thank Jessie Angel for being such an awesome beta as well as Kitsune Lizzie and Kimaya Aya for being so dedicated to this story.

Hugs, kisses, and virtual cookies to everyone,

alloreli


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